In search of the principles of resilient urban design: Implementability of the principles in the case of the cities in Serbia

Abstract

The concept of resilience is probably one of the best-known new international concepts, which have gained attention since the economic crisis in 2008. Since then, this global challenge has redirected general focus at all tiers from “faith” in unstoppable progress to more desirable stabilisation and preparedness.

Being the major places of globalism, cities across the World have suffered from the crisis. Therefore, they have profoundly embraced the postulates of resilience, transforming them with “urban” footprint – urban resilience. The creation of this significant concept has been in the agenda of many international organisations. However, the concept of urban resilience is still a novelty, with accompanying implementation problems. This is a very important issue in the field of urban design, a part of urbanism very much connected to concrete functioning in situ.

This “implementability” of the concept of resilience in urban design is an important issue for Serbia. As a post-socialist country, it has witnessed various problems and general inconsistency. With a strong motive to cope with them, local authorities and institutions often try to directly implement foreign-arisen concepts and knowledge, without any local adaptation. The results of these forceful acts are usually questionable.

Therefore, the aim of this paper is to understand how the principles of resilient urban design are tailored and how they are important for Serbian cities. Hence, general urban plans as the main development documents in Serbian cities are researched through the lenses of these principles, with expectations to check if they are ready to make urban design in relevant cities more resistant. The final contribution of the paper is foreseen in the form of guidelines to enforce urban resilience at local level.